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Study, Research, and Custom Programs Abroad

Reading the Russian Classics with SRAS

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Join SRAS starting February 28th, 2021 for a new look at the Russian classics. Each course will look at a major work from five of Russia’s most famous authors. We will present the author’s biography and the history of the book’s creation, and then over the course of four meetings reference excerpts to discuss plot, character, and important themes to the work. We will also take a virtual excursion to a location in Russia of relevance to the work, its author, and its history to learn still more.

Each course is individual and is taken separately. We will be adding more sessions throughout the year. See below for the current lineup. Contact us with any questions.

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Reading Chekhov: The Cherry Orchard

Anton Chekhov helped change the face of theatre. We will navigate our way through this work with five lectures and a live virtual visit to the Moscow Art Theater, where many of Chekhov's plays were first staged.

Tolstoy

Reading Tolstoy: Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina is one of the world's great novels of psychological prose. We will navigate our way through this work with five lectures and a virtual "live" visit to Yasnaya Polyana, where Tolstoy lived and wrote this and other works.

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Reading Dostoevsky: The Brothers Karamazov

The Brothers Karamazov is crime fiction famed for eloquently raising the fundamental philosophical questions of human existance. We will discuss this work in five lectures and a virtual visit to the Dostoevsky Museum in St. Petersburg.

bulgakov

Reading Bulgakov: The Master and Margarita

Reading this novel is nothing short of an adventure. We will navigate our way through this work with five lectures and a virtual visit to the Bulgakov Museum in Moscow and Patriarchi Ponds, the setting of the events of the first chapter.

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Reading Pasternak: Dr. Zhivago

In this iconic text, it seems everything happens by chance. However, the main question is: "What is chance?" We will navigate our way through this work with five lectures and a virtual visit to Peredelkino, where the novel was written.

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About the Author

Josh Wilson

Josh lived in Moscow from 2003-2022. He first arrived to study the Russian language at MSU through SRAS. He holds an M.A. in Theatre and a B.A. in History from Idaho State University, where his masters thesis was written on the political economy of Soviet-era censorship organs affecting the stage. At SRAS, Josh assists in program development and is also the editor-in-chief for the SRAS newsletter, the SRAS Family of Sites, and Vestnik: The Journal of Russian and Asian Studies. In addition, he has served as Communications Director to Alinga Consulting Group (Now Bellerage) and has served as a consultant or translator to several businesses and organizations with interests in Russia.

View all posts by: Josh Wilson